Take your coffee black and proud of your sugar-free cookie collection? Well, that’s a good start! Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean your diet isn’t overloaded with hidden sugars that are literally everywhere these days – from your favourite granola bars to tomato sauce.
The easiest way to spot sugar is where you don’t expect it so be sure to check the nutritional information on the ingredients list of what you’re about to eat. More often than not you’ll find a variety of sugars in them.
The general health recommendation is to keep your daily intake of sugar at six or less teaspoons. One teaspoon contains approximately 4g, which brings us to 24g of sugar per day.
Now, one serving of Oreo cookies contains 11.9g of sugar. That’s three cookies. THREE! When was the last time you had that much self-control to stop at three? 😉 One of our editors loves her Oreo cookies with Nescafe Dolce Gusto Flat White. One cup of this deliciousness adds another 3.9g. Oh, and how about 100g of Value Macaroni Elbows with their 2.5g? This stuff isn’t even sweet, it’s so unfair!
Unfortunately, that’s how things are and the best thing we can do is watch our diet and be aware of the consequences of over-indulging with sugary foods.
Increased risk of diabetes
Probably, this comes as no surprise. Eating too much sugar increases your risk of developing insulin resistance. Insulin resistance, in its turn, increases blood sugar, which leads directly to diabetes.
The risk of developing diabetes grows by 1.1% for every 150 calories of sugar (or one can of soda) consumed per day.
And heart disease
Eating yourself into a sugar coma will eventually lead to an increase in your triglycerides, blood pressure and inflammation – the well-known risk factors of heart disease.
Sugar causes acne
There are many reasons for this skin affliction to make an appearance in your life. For example, your acne might be hormonal. But it might also be because of that bar of chocolate you mindlessly nibbled on while binge-watching TV shows last weekend.
Due to their higher glycemic index, processed sweets raise your blood sugar faster and an unexpected spike in blood sugar and insulin levels causes increased androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, seriously increasing your risks of acne.
And accelerates skin aging
Another skin problem, associated with sugar is accelerated skin aging. Of course, no matter how healthy your diet is, you can’t avoid wrinkles forever. But the reaction between sugar and protein in our body produces AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) that damage collagen and elastin in your skin, causing it to age prematurely.
Here are some of the best anti-aging skincare products to support your skin health.
Excess sugar turns into fat
There are many reasons behind the maximum six teaspoons per day recommendation and one of them is that our body is simply unable to metabolise any more than that. Just like extra calories, extra sugar ends up being stored as unwanted body fat.
Excessive fructose – a type of simple sugar, found in sodas and juices – causes resistance to leptin, the so-called ‘hunger hormone’ that lets your body know when it’s time to stop eating. In other words, it becomes harder for your body to recognise when you’re full.
Sugary diet can lead to depression
Balanced, natural foods keep you energised, positive and healthy. When your diet is heavy on carbohydrates and sugar, you might feel sad, lazy and even depressed. It’s also one of the 7 reasons you’re feeling tired every day.
The more you eat – the more you want it
It’s a cycle only the best of us are able to break. Nutritionists compare sugar addiction to the one people develop on heavy drugs with all the same effects on our brain. So, don’t be surprised that the more doughnuts you consume the more sweets your body will crave, no matter how well your brain understands that this desire is unhealthy and completely unnecessary.